"I really want to stay here till the last day" - Aryna Sabalenka delighted with Australian Open atmosphere, eyes successful title defence

Aryna Sabalenka has expressed her love for the atmosphere at the Australian Open and stated her desire to successfully defend her title this year.

Sabalenka clinched her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2023 Melbourne Major. She came from a set down to defeat the then reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final.

This year, the Belarusian has been on a splendid run Down Under. She has conceded just 11 games in four matches so far, which is the fewest number of games lost by a player reaching the quarterfinals since 2013, when Maria Sharapova lost five and Serena Williams lost eight.

After her fourth-round defeat of Amanda Anisimova, Sabalenka expressed her love for the atmosphere at Melbourne Park and said that it drives her to go all the way at the Australian Open once again.

"Thank you so much for the atmosphere. I love playing in front of you. That's why I'm getting stronger because I enjoy the atmosphere so much and I really want to stay here as long as I can, till the last day and hopefully we can get this one more time. Thank you so much guys," she said in her on-court interview.

She also praised Anisimova, who made her comeback to the WTA tour this year after taking an eight-month break from the sport citing burnout.

"Happy to get this win. She's a tough opponent and I'm super happy to see her back on the tour. I'm pretty sure she'll be back on top very soon. I wish her all the best," she added.

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Aryna Sabalenka to face Barbora Krejcikova or Mirra Andreeva in 2024 Australian Open quarterfinals

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 Australian Open.

With her run to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka has shown that she is comfortable playing at the biggest tournaments on the women's tour.

The 25-year-old is now into her sixth consecutive Major quarterfinal, a run that started at the 2022 French Open. She is the youngest player to do so since Amelie Mauresmo. She is also the first player to reach six consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals since Serena Williams (10), who did so between the 2014 US Open and the 2017 Australian Open.

Sabalenka will next face ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova or 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva and will head into that match with a lot of confidence as she has never lost a Major quarterfinal (7-0).